Press Releases

Bacta app wins industry praise at Autumn Coin-Op Show

Published

5 years ago

October 14, 2019

George Miller

Bacta app wins industry praise at Autumn Coin-Op Show

Bacta's Robert Gibb (R) with John Rozek, Financial Compliance Director at Game Payment Technology

Reading Time: 2 minutes

‘Two days of demonstrations, discussions and genuine interest from all sectors of the business’ is how Greg Wood, who represents bacta along with Quentin Stott and Robert Gibb on the board of Game Payment Technology, described the company’s action packed debut at the recent Autumn Coin-Op Show (ACOS). The joint venture in which UK trade association, bacta owns 51 percent of the specially established company, took to the floor to physically demonstrate the huge progress made developing the industry’s cashless payments app, since bacta’s National Council authorised its development at the end of June.

The system which was born out of bacta’s Cashless Committee headed up by Greg Wood, comprises an app which uses Near Field Communication (NFC) to transfer money from the players’ digital wallet and on to the gaming machine: thereafter winnings go straight back onto the phone. The payment system architecture is highly sophisticated and robust, featuring secure end-to-end encryption. The process also enables the inclusion of important social responsibility messaging.

“The progress has been phenomenal as was the feedback we received at ACOS” confirmed Wood. He continued: “Polar Moment, our partners in the JV, have huge experience supplying systems to brands including Marks & Spencer and Shell, and they were blown away by the level of interest and the appetite that exists for a cashless app for both digital and analogue, both of which we demonstrated at the show. While the majority of stand visitors were bacta Division 2 members who brought their PubCo customers along, a significant number of Adult Gaming Centre operators in attendance expressed a keen interest. We also had long discussions with both the Gambling Commission and Depratment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. From a social responsibility perspective the app delivers much more control than cash and we are implementing important social responsibility features which will allow the player to restrict their gaming exposure. These are important features of the app which we are developing in partnership with bacta members who, after all, are the stakeholders in this business and like both myself and Quentin live the industry with hands-on experience of operating and creating machines.”

“Not only have we taken into account the social responsibility requirements of the Gambling Commission but also the compliance requirements of the Financial Conduct Authority, payment processors and the banks all of whom require cashless app developers to pass compliance testing and ensure they have the correct processes in place. The team at Polar Moment, led by Compliance Director, John Rozek is vastly experienced in this highly specialist area and have been able to provide both the skill and knowledge necessary to make this process seem effortless.”

Wood is confident following what was a really strong debut showing. He said: “The feedback has been incredibly positive with a number of influential operators wanting to sign-up straight away and I should add that we’ve even fielded strong interest from industry sectors based outside of the UK which augurs well. The conversations that we had at ACOS show that the industry wants a bacta solution to cashless and it is absolutely clear that the bacta name and brand carries a lot of influence and trust with all sectors of the industry.”

Industry News

SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level

Published

10 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.

Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.

Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.

GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.

eSports

North Star Network acquires Um Dois Esportes

Published

10 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

North Star Network are delighted to announce the acquisition of umdoisesportes.com.br, which becomes the latest addition to NSN’s global sports media portfolio.

Born from the GRPCOM merger of the editorial teams of Gazeta Do Povo and Tribuna do Paraná in 2020, Um Dois Esportes provides in-depth sports coverage and analysis for the Brazilian state of Paraná and beyond.

North Star Network co-founder Julien Josset said: “Thank you to the team at GRPCOM for their faith in us to take the brand forward. Um Dois Esportes is an established and renowned site in Paraná State, and we’re excited about the challenge of developing this asset.”

“We’re happy to maintain the collaboration with the existing editorial team, and look forward to working with them, bringing our unique NSN approach, to take UDE forward.” NSN’s signing of Um Dois Esportes is the media house’s fourth acquisition of 2024, following the recent deals to purchase UK-based SportsMole and MrFixitsTips, as well as Chilean site AlAireLibre, which was announced in March.

The latest addition to the North Star media portfolio joins existing assets including Top Mercato, Afrik-Foot, and Vringe. The Paris-based company already oversees a significant Brazilian operation, delivering over 6 million sessions per month, from the likes of Trivela, Premier League Brasil and Lakers Brasil.

NSN will retain Curitiba-based journalists from the Um Dois Esportes legacy team to maintain the asset’s unique tone and popular coverage of the Paraná sports scene across site and social.

“We were surprised by the interest, and initially had no intention of selling Um Dois, but as the conversations evolved, we realised this was a serious group with good intentions,” said GRPCOM Director Rafael Mello. “We were very happy to see our project being valued by a large international group and going global, demonstrating the quality of the content we produced.”

“We’re also proud that North Star inherited our journalists, who are truly responsible for the success of the product we offer readers every day.”

partnerships

BNXT League and PepperMill Casino join forces

Published

10 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

BNXT League , the professional men’s basketball league played across the Netherlands and Belgium, and PepperMill Casino, the online casino licensed in Belgium, are pleased to announce their partnership centered around the BNXT League’s Belgian Play Offs.

PepperMill Casino will be a naming partner of the Belgian play offs. For the 24-25 season, PepperMill remains a partner of the BNXT League until the restrictions on gambling advertising take legal effect on January 1, 2025.

The partnership between BNXT League and PepperMill Casino aims to create engaging and customized content that engages and captivates fans on multiple fronts while increasing brand awareness.

“The basketball community is growing and buzzing with excitement and energy,” stated Anthony Rus, General Director of PepperMill Casino. “This partnership allows us to create memorable moments that build brand awareness and capture the hearts of fans.”

“Wim Van de Keere, general manager of the BNXT League, adds, “The playoffs are undoubtedly the sporting highlight of the season. We are delighted to still be able to tie a dynamic partner like PepperMill Casino to us despite the restrictions coming up from 2025.”